Speed and acceleration actuated power plant control means



Oct. 14, 1952 BREGUET ET AL I SPEED AND ACCELERATION ACTUATED POWER PLANT CONTROL MEANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 10, 1948 Oct. 14, 1952 L. BREGUET ET AL 2,613,750

SPEED AND ACCELERATION ACTUATED 7 POWER PLANT CONTROL MEANS Filed Feb. 10, 1948 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 14, 1952 L. BREGUET ET AL 2,613,750

SPEED AND ACCELERATION ACTUATED POWER PLANT CONTROL MEANS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 10, 1948 Patented Oct. 14, 1952 SPEED AND ACCELERATION ACTUATED POWER PLANT CONTROL MEANS Louis Breguet and Ren Devillers, Paris, France; said Devillers assignor to said Breguet Application February 10, 1948, Serial No. 7,356 In France February 18, 1947 11 Claims. (01. 170-13514) The present invention relates to power plant control means adapted to counteract casual or accidental changes in rate of a rotary power absorbing apparatus.

An object of the invention is to provide control means particularly adapted for and operatively connected to helicopter rotor blades, to control the pitch thereof.

An object of the inveintion is to provide improved control means comprising a. device responsive to the R. P. M. of the power absorbing apparatus and a device responsive to the acceleration thereof, said devices being arranged to act selectively or simultaneously as the case may be. In particular, the acceleration responsive device is adapted to act on the pitch with the utmost rapidity in order to prevent undue increase in R. P. M.

A feature of the invention is to, use a centrifugal governor as speed responsive device and a fly-wheel arrangement as acceleration responsive device, both of said devices being adapted to actuate valve means controlling a hydraulicallyoperated servo-motor. associated with the power absorbing apparatus. The fly-wheel as well as the governor are driven from the power absorbing apparatus, through a gearing such thatthe fly-wheel is rotated at a higher speed than the governor, a sun-and-planet gear being associated with said fly-wheel and said governor, on the one hand, and with the valve means on the other hand, whereby any lag occurring between the fly-wheel and the governor is transmitted to the valve meanswhich is driven accordingly.

A further object of the invention is to arrange the fly-wheel and the governor devices so that the former will act on the valve means when sudden acceleration occurs, while the latter will act for gradual accelerations.

7 According to a feature of the invention, the control means causes the pitch to increase as soon as acceleration of the rotor occurs, but remains idle in the case of retardation. v

According to a further feature of the'invention, manual control means are provided for adjusting the pitch and the R. P. M. of a helicopter rotor, said manual control means acting in association with the above-specified automatic control means. I

According to a still further feature, the manual control means are only capable of increasing the pitch during normal flight, the manually controlled decrease ofthe pitch being a purely occasional and special maneuver. v

Other objects and advantages of the invention 2 will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this invention and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same.

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically a gear train including a sun-and-planet gear,

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic axial section of a regulator according to the invention,

Fig. 3 is a similar section of a further form of regulator,

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic section showing the association of a regulator with its control means and actuated members,

Fig. 5 is a section through the axis of aregulator showing, on an enlarged section, the assembly of the various component members, I

Fig. 6 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of a helicopter provided with the control means of the invention.

The gear train of Fig. 1 comprises a rotary member I hereinafter called casing, carrying planet-gears 2 mounted for free rotation relatively thereto, which mesh on the one hand with an inner coaxial pinion or sun gear 3, and on the other hand with an outer coaxial ring gear which is integral with a drum 4. The latter is geared to a rack 5 through a transmission consisting of a pinion 6, in mesh with outer teeth of the drum 4, a further pinion 1, in mesh with the rack 5, and a common shaft 8 to which both pinions 6 and I are wedged. The rack 5 is urged, by means of a return spring 9, into a position corresponding to the abutment of the drum 4 against a stationary stop It.

The inner pinion 3 is integral (see Fig. 2) with a fly-wheel 23, whereas the rotary casing l which bears at its top part the planet-gears 2, is integral with a pinion i6 meshing with a toothed wheel I5 wedged to a rotary shaft I l driven from a power absorbing apparatus, the rate of which is to be adjusted. This aparatus is diagrammatically illustrated as a rotary blade 22. The shaft Ii further drives a rotary pump 12.

Thispump l2 sucks up oil from a tank 58 and discharges it into a duct 20, at a pressurewhich is limited owing to the provision of a relief valve I3 inserted on a by-pass or exhaust duct 2 l. The supply duct 20 is controlled by a slide-valve ll whose rod extends into the casing I. This rod is urged upwards by a pair of governor fiyballs l4, and downwards by a governor speeder spring l8 which bears at one end on the slide-rodand The slide-valve [1 controls the supply of pres-I sure liquid to a servo-motor, illustrated as a hydraulic ram I9 provided with a'return spring 49, and controlling the load of the power absorbing apparatus, that is, in this casegthe pitch of= the rotor blades, generally indicated at 22."

The power control embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, operates as follows: The power absorbing apparatus drives, through the shaft ll and the gearing IB-IB, the casing l which thus rotates at a speed corresponding to the of the rotor, and in the direction of the arrow J. The planet-gears 2..-are thus driven along the teethof-the ring gear l which rinains f'stationary owing to the stop 10. "This r'noti'o n'ofthe planetgears-causes the inner pinion 3 to rotate, at a relatively high speed, in the direction of the arrow 9, thus driving the highinertia fiy-wheel 23. The shaft -I| simultaneously-drives the pump I2 which'builds up pressure.

*{The position of the valve I! in Fig. 2 corresponds to normal cruising rate. Indeed, as shown, the valve obturates the passage to and from theram l9, and the pitch of the blades 22 remains constant. A lift of the valve I! would correspondto' anincrease in pitch, while a crop of the valve would correspond to a decrease'in'pitch. The stationary obturating position' of the-valve corresponds to equilibrium between the opposing forces exerted by the centrifugal governor l4 and by the speeder spring-'l8.- i Y The rate of the blade-carrying rotor can be 'casuallyaltered-in two waysf-viz. a" sudden acceleration-pr a gradual one.-

I therotor suddenly -*sta rts accelerating, the casing 1 will accelerate in itsturn. However, the inncrpinion 3 will-be -unaflected owing to the inertia of the fiy-wheel 23, integral therewith.

Thusa lag will occur between the casing l and the'pijnion 3, and the planet-ge'ars 2 will give rise to 'a Teactiontorque urging'the ring gear a in the direction of the arrow This angular displacement of the ring gear 4 is converted, through the gearing 6-7, intotranslational displacement "of the rack 5 against the action of the'spring 9, i. e. towards the rightof Fig. 2. The anglelever 24 is swung accordingly and the slide-valve I1 is urged upwards, thus opening the supply duct 20. -Asa result, the pitch of the blades 22 is automatically increased when the rotor starts accelerating, thushindering this tendency; This automatic action takes place with th utmost rapidity.

-As the pitch of the blades increases, the rotor tends to slow down, and accordingly the opposite phenomenon occurs in the sun-and-planet gears, -i. e. the 'lagbetween the casing I and'the 'flywheelpinioh-t isinverted, and as'a result the "ring gear his returned to theposition illustrated Fig.1.- This movement, owing to the gearing 6 f 8 5 and to the action of the spring 9, causes -the"lever-24*to swing back, and the slide-valve 31 1- is'riow free to movedown, Howevenitis'to b'e noted that the lever 24 does not pull the slide-valve which will return to obturating position, as urged by the speeder spring I8, the action of the governor I4 having remained substantially constant owing to the very slight variation in vR. P. M.

centrifugal force, thus driving the slide-valve ll upwards. As before, the ram I9 is fed with pressure-liquid and the pitch of the blades 22- increases.-- l

As a consequence, the R. P. M. of the rotor slows down and the flyballs it start swinging inwardly; the slide-valve ll, urged by the governor-speeder spring l8, o'bturates the supply duct 20.

If the R'; P. M. goes on decreasing, the flyballs swing -further towards their innermost position, andtheslide-valve I? moves further down, thus connecting the ram I 9 to the exhaust duct 21; the pressure is released and the pitch of the blades decreases, owing to the action of the spring 46.

The embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3 is similar to that of Fig. 2, except as regards the actuation of the-slide-valve If by means of the rack 5.: In this case, the ang1e-1ever24: has been replaced by an auxiliary hydraulic system including a further slide-valve 25 Which constitutes an extension of the rack 5. The slide-valve l1 has a piston shape and is freeto move in a cylindrical enclosure. 1 i

In the position illustrated, the slide-valve I1 is in obturating position. If a sudden acceleration occurs, as before the rack 5 is displaced towards the right, carrying in its motion the auxiliaryslide-valve 25'against the action of the spring'9. The outlet duct 2! is first obturated and then the supply duct 29 is uncovered. Pressure is exerted on the-base surface of the slidevalve. H which behaves as a piston; the latter moves upwards, thus allowing supply of pressure liquid to the ram l9 and increase in pitch. Inversely, when the rotor starts slowing down, the auxiliary slide-valve 25 which is driven towards the left, first obturates thepressure duct 20 and then uncovers the outlet duct 2!. Hence pressure on'the bottomof the slide-valve I1 is re- 17 when the slide-valve25 is moved (i. e. in case of an acceleration) evenif the R. P. M. of the power absorbing apparatus is low, that is to say even if the flyballs lean on their abutments under the pressure exertedby spring 18.

'I'n'the general diagram or Fig. 4, the adjustable piston abutment 29 is shown to be controlled by a lever 28 actuated,-through a heart-shaped cam 27 and an appropriate linkage, by means of a hand lever 26. Thelatter moves opposite a sector- 19 which is provided with an end portion 50 so de'signedthat the lever 26 can only be moved opposite it willingly for special reasons specified hereafter; under normal conditions of flight, the lever'26 is set at the position illustrated, or it is moved towards the right. 'Ihishand lever 26 is further linked to the rod of the engine throttle valve, through a conveniently shaped cam 52 pushing this rod against the actionofa return spring 53. Moreover, the hand lever 26 controls a three-way cook 48 inserted into the connection between a source of compressed air 41 and a pneumatic servo-motor illustrated as aram 44. In the position shown, the cock 48 connects the rain to the atmosphere. However, when displaced towards the end 50, the handlever 26 causes-the cock first to out off the outlet to the atmosphere, and then to connect the ram 44 to the source of pneumatic pressure 41.

The ram 44 acts, through a rod 43 and oppositely toa spring 45, on one end-of a toggle-lever 4|,a stop 46 limiting the'uppermost position of therod43.

Thistoggle-lever 4| is further hinged, at its opposite end, to a rod 42 fast with the piston of thehydraulicram l9, and at an intermediate point, to the pitch control rod of the blade 22.

The rod 42 of the hydraulic ram 9 is associated with a lever 36 adapted to oscillate about a stationary point 31 and hinged, at an intermediate point 35 thereof, to a toggle-lever 33. The latter is linked, at one end thereof, to a pusher member 34 cooperating withthe slide-valve l1, and, at the opposite'end thereof, toa rod 59 associated with a T-shaped hand lever 30. The latter also actuates afurther pusher member 39 slidably fitted through the piston abutment 29 and its control lever 28.

. In the illustrated position, the hand lever 30 abuts against a stop 3| provided on a sector 32 and which limits its adjustment under normal flight conditions. However, this hand lever 30 is capable of moving beyond the stop 3| to the end 38 of the sector 32, if conveniently and willingly maneuvered for special reasons specified hereafter.

The arrangement of Fig. 4 which is particularly adapted for helicopters, operates-as follows:

In the form illustrated in Fig. 4, the lever 26 is shown in a position such that the engine (not shown on said figure) is supplied with fuel just sufliciently for sustaining the aircraft in the air for normal flight; the recessed portion of the cam 2! acts on the lever 28, so that the spring I8 is under minimum stress. The centrifugal governor is adjusted for a low R. P. M. of the rotor and adjusts the pitch for maintaining this low R. P. M.

When the hand lever is moved towards the right, more fuel is supplied to the engine owing to linkage 5|, 52 and both the rotor and the engine accelerate. Simultaneously, the righthand bulge of the cam 21 depresses the lever 28, thus increasing the stress of the governor 'speeder sprin l8. Hence, the governor is adjusted for a higher R. P. M. of the rotor; this allows accelerationjof the rotor and'the engine. In other words, the increasingly stressed spring l8 hinders the action of the fiyballs l4 on the slide-valve l1, tending to increase the pitch, as this would prevent the rotor from accelerating. Nevertheless the centrifugal governor operates as described above and adjusts the pitch for maintaining the R. P. M. at a value corresponding to the stress of spring.

When the hand lever is moved towards the left, the power of the engine becomes insufiicient for sustaining the craft and the latter starts descending. Simultaneously, the left-hand bulge of the cam 27 depresses the lever 28 thus stressing the spring-i IBp -TheflybaHs-M are centripetally moved by thev spring.and*the-slide-valveitlfl is urged downwards as shown in the figure, so'that crease the pitch in case of autogyration, because the stressing of the sprin l8 corresponds to an R. P. M. .of the rotor greater than the autogyra tion R. P. M. v

However, in all cases, an acceleration of the rotor" always causes an increase in pitch, because when the sliding valve 25 isdisplaced, the full liquid pressure acts on the bottom of the piston valve and moves it, even if the spring I8 is stressed and if the fiyballs I4 lean on their abut ment.

Thus, when landing tail-down, after a downward oblique motorless flight, during the ulti-' mate nose lift, the rotor accelerates. The pitch therefore increases automatically without delay as soon as the maneuver is initiated. It'is thus possible to avoid the simultane'ous'd'elicate control ofthe pitch and of the nose lift; v

Furthermore the control of the spring l8 may be independent of the throttle-lever 2B, and obtained with another lever. These twolevers can be arranged adjacent to one another so as to be grasped simultaneously. This disconnection is necessary in particular when the centrifugal governor remains operativeduring autogyration, I

in which case the R; P. M. of autogyration may be adjusted in accordance with the altitude.

The positioning of the lever'26 on the end portion 50 corresponds to a special maneuver whose object is to bring about firm application of the aircraft on the ground. Indeed, the properly shaped cam 52 causes again thethrottle to open and more fuel to be supplied to the engine. But the cook 28 is now in the positionwherein the source of compressed air 41 is connected to the pneumatic ram 44, and the pitch of the blades 22 is inverted, i. e. the lift of the rotor is now directed downwards.

As stated above, the relative arrangement of the lever 26 and of the sector 49 is such that the former cannot be casually set opposite the end portion 50. This positionin must be the result of a willing action of thepilot. For normal control purposes, during flight, the pilot will merely set the lever 26 between the position illustrated in Fig. 4 and the right-hand end position. Consequently, the actuation of lever 26 will result in an acceleration of the rotor (owing to increased output of the engine) without correspon'ding increase in pitch (owing to the locking action of the compressed speeder spring I8).

The other hand lever 30 has for its object to allow adjustment at will of the pitch of the blades, without substantially affecting the R. P. M. of the rotor, as determined by the speeder spring I 8. Indeed, when this lever 30 is displaced towards the right, the linkage 59-33 causes the pusher member 34 to rise and urge the'slidevalve upwards. Pressure liquid-then flows into the hydraulic ram I9, and the toggle-lever 4| swings, thus causing the pitch of the blades 22 to increase. v

1 However, as the rod-42- moves down, the 'lever ries'along' the toggle-lever .33. As a result, the

pusher 34 recedes, and theislide-valve I I returns, asurged by the spring l8,'to obturating position. The pusher 34 will. then behave as an abutment preventing downward motion of the slide-valve ITL-i. adecrease in pitch. 1' If .the lever 38 is displacedfurther :right, the pusher 34twill again drive the slide-valve I1 until at ne'WLand. greater pitch is achieved. On the contrary, the lever 30 .is displaced leftwards, the pusher will. merely recede further, without dragging along, the slide-valve l7 .since it can only fpush," the-position of ,this'slide-valve being now... as before, vdetermimed by the opposingactions of the governor fiyballs i4 and thespeeder spring 1.8. In particular, if the R. P. M. decreases, theevalve. I! will connect the ram 19 to exhaust atx2l and the pitch will decrease. However, this decrease will be limited to a value corresponding to the-position of the lever 30, since, asthe rod 42 moves'up, so. will the pusher 34, and the slidevalve I! will be returned to obturating position. In other words, the positioning of the lever 3o resultsin a predetermined minimum pitch, i. e. for a given setting of the lever 30, thepitch will be equal'to' or greater than a given value, but never smaller than this value. 1

It is thus possible to obtain accurately, whatever be the initial stateof the governor device,

a variation in pitch, depending on the displacement of the control lever 30, each position of which corresponds to a minimum pitch, As the pilot cannot directlydecrease the pitch, provided he does not willingly actuate the lever 22?, accidental over-speeding of the rotor is avoided.

It will be assumed obviously that the-valve l7 cannot .urge back the pusher. 34 and the control lever 30. Y

This locking of the pitch against any variation towards lower values, is necessary in vertical flight at, low altitudes, as it prevents in case of engine failure, the automatic adjustment of the pitchto the value of autogyration, with the very dangerous consequence of instantaneous losses in thrust and altitude. I

The control of the pusher 34 allows also, in motorless vertical landing, to obtain a pull-up of the craft through a speedy increasing of the pitch, so as to obtain a landing of the craft without any shock. When landing in autogyration oblique path, suchcontrol does not hinder the operation of the flywheel and may, therefore, be used again for cooperating in achieving an increase in pitch, already provided as disclosed through the acceleration of the blades due to the eventual nose-lift.

Obviously, the length of the pusher must be chosen so that, in retracted position (lever 30 against stop 3|), it does not hinder the action of the centrifugal governor.

Similarly to the R. P. M. control hand lever 2B,

' the pitch control lever 38 is set, during flight,

.of-the pilot, past the-stop 3! to the end position 38. This "maneuver is effected, on the ground, for

taxying' or fortesting the engine before starting. In both .cases,-it is desired to achieve a relatively high R. P. M. with a very low oreven zero pitch, .inorderto avoid any lifting of the craft. Indeed, when the lever 30 is at 38, the'upper pusher member 39 which is slidably {arranged 'll fQ l hi the P ton abu ment 28, is depressed; it

forces thefslide -va'lve l1 down intojexhaust posi-,- tion, and keeps it inv this position as long as the lever. 30 remains PPOSite the end portion 38.

Figs. 5 Iand G show the arrangement of the various elements of the regulator device in a practical embodiment. The whole device is enclosed inside a properly shaped housing 60 at the top of which are secured a cylindrical member 62 and "a generally circular cover flange Bi, and at the bottom .of which is fitted up the hydraulic control system including the pumplZ, the supply duct 20, the by-pass duct 2|, the relief-valve Hi, the main slide-valve I1 and the auxiliary one 25 with its return spring 9. The primary shaft H is fittedup inside the member 62, across its bottom,'-and through thehousing 60 to the pump 12.

The cover -;fiange 5i; bears the assembly including the governor speeder spring l8 and its movable piston abutment 29. It also supports, through roller bearings, the fly-wheel 2, I

The rotary casing l is also mounted onroller bearings 65-455 carried by the housing 60. The wall of this casing contains three longitudinal boresinside each of which are arranged two roller bearings EE54 carrying an axle 63 fast with a planet-gear 2. The governor comprises three fly:

balls M which act on a rotary ring 66 mounted on roller bearings and linked to the slide-valve I? through a short rod 54 ending with ball-andsocket joints.

In order to avoid undue friction, the pinion 6 has been replaced by a protruding snug '55 engaging a fork-shaped member 58 integral with the drum 4. The displacement of this snug is limited by means of two stops 18a. and 10b, in two end positions-corresponding to the two extreme positions of the auxiliary slide-valve 25 to which the snug 55 is connected through the shaft 8, the pinion l and the rack 5. a

. As illustrated, the whole regulator arrangement thus forms a compact unit which can be easily fitted: up by merely engaging the pusher members 34 and 39 through corresponding bores at the top and at the bottom of theunit, by connecting up the hydraulic ram to the threadedpassage indicated at H) and the oil tank to acorresponding passage.

Fig. '7 showsdiagrammatically a helicopter provided with the arrangement of the invention. In this diagram, the relative positions ofthe various members is shown, these members bearing the same referencenumbers as above. In particular, the hand lever 2-6 is seen with its links to the cam -Z'I and to the throttle rod 51, as well as the rotary shaft H with its connection to the power absorbing blades 22.

Itis to be understood that the form "of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the of pressure liquid provided with 'a dis'chargeend' connected to said servo-motor through duct means, comprising in combination valve means in said duct means for'controlling the passage of pressure liquid to said servo-motor,- a centrifugal speedl' governor 'rotatingly' driven-from said apparatus, linking means between said governorand-said valve means for bringing :the

latter under control of said governor, planet gears mountedon said governor for free rotation about axles fast with said governor, a sun gear meshing with said planet gears, a fiy-wheel fast withsaid sun gear, a ring gear meshing with said planet gears and coaxial with the sun gear, and transmission means between the ring gear and the said valve means for bringing saidvalve means under control of. said ring gear, whereby said valve means is under conjugate control-of said governor and said fly-wheel.

2. A power plant control means for adjusting a rotary power absorbing apparatus, including a hydraulically-operated servo-motor and a source of pressure liquid provided with a discharge end connected to said servo-motor through duct means, comprising in combination valve means in said duct means for controlling the passage of pressure liquid to said servo-motor, said valve means including a piston-shaped member slidable in a cylindrical enclosure, a centrifugal speed governor rotatingly driven from said apparatus, linking means between said governor and said valve means for bringing the latter under control of said governor, further duct means between the discharge end of said source and said cylindrical enclosure, an exhaust passage from said cylindrical enclosure, further valve means for controlling the passage of pressure liquid to and from said cylindrical enclosure through said further duct means and said exhaust passage, planet gears mounted on said governor for free rotation about axles fast with said governor, a sun gear meshing with said planet gears, a fly-wheel fast with said sun gear, a ring gear meshing with said planet gears and coaxial with the sun gear, and transmission means between the ring gear and the said further valve means for bringing said further valve means under control of said rin gear, whereby-said first-mentioned valve means is under conjugate control of said governor and said fly-wheel.

3. A power plant control means for adjusting a rotary power absorbing apparatus, including a hydraulically-operated servo-motor and a source of pressure liquid provided with a discharge end connected to said servo-motor through duct means, comprising in combination valve means in said duct means for controlling the passage of pressure liquid to said servo-motor, a centrifugal speed governor rotatingly driven from said apparatus, linking means between said governor and said valve means for bringing the latter under control of said governor, planet gears mounted on said governor for free rotation about axles fast with said governor, a sun gear meshing with said planet gears, a fly-wheel fast with said sun gear, a ring gear meshing with said planet gears and coaxial with the sun gear, means for preventing rotation of said ring gear beyond a predetermined angular position, and transmission means between the ring gear and the said valve means for bringing said valve means under control of said ring gear, whereby said valve means is under conjugate control of said governor and said fly-wheel.

4. Power plant control means according to claim 1, including a helicopter rotor having variable pitch blades, and means operatively connecting said servo-motor with said blades.

5. Power plant control means according to claim 4, said centrifugal governor comprising a rotary member driven from said helicopter rotor, governor flyballs supported on said rotary member, said linking means acting between said gov- 10 ernor flyballs and said valve means, a governor speeder spring 'connected to act on said linking means in opposition to said flyballs, means for adjusting the pressure of said speeder spring and including a cam operatively engaging one end of said spring, and hand-actuated means operatively connected for controlling the position of said cam,

6. In a helicopter including, an engine, handactuated means for adjusting the outputfloflsaid engine, rotary helicopter blades. drivingly cone nected to said engine, and means for adjusting the pitch of said blades including a hydraulically: operated servo-motor and a source of pressure liquid provided with a discharge end connected to said servo-motor through duct means,'the combination of valve means in said duct means for controlling the passage of pressure liquidto said servo-motor, a centrifugal speedgove'r-nor rotatingly driven from said apparatus, saidf overnor including a rotary member and flyballs supported on said rotary member, linking means between said flyballs and said valve means for bringing the latter under control of said governor, a governor speeder spring one end of which acts on said linking means oppositely to the action of said flyballs, a movable piston abutment for the other end of said speeder spring, a shaped cam operatively engaging saidpiston abutment and operatively connected to said hand actuate'd means for bringing said speeder spring under control of said hand-actuated means, planet gears mounted on said governor for free rotation about axles fast with said. governona sun gear meshing with said planet gears, a fly-wheelfast with said sun gear, a ring gear meshing with said planet gears and coaxial with the sun gear, and transmission means between the ring gear and the said valve means for bringing said valve means under control of said ring gear, whereby said valve means is under conjugate control of said governor and said fly-wheel.

'7. The combination defined in claim 6, said valve means including a piston-shaped member sliding in a cylindrical enclosure, further duct means between the discharge end of said source and said cylindrical enclosure, an exhaust passage from said cylindrical enclosure, further valve means for controlling the passage of pressure liquid to and from said cylindrical enclosure through said further duct means and said exhaust passage, said ring gear acting on said further valve means, whereby said first-mentioned valve means is under conjugate control of said governor and said fly-wheel.

8. A device according to claim 2, including a movable pusher element slidably fitted through an end of said cylindrical enclosure and engageable with said piston-shaped member to limit displacement thereof in one direction, and hand-actuated means for adjusting the position of said pusher elements.

9. A device according to claim 8, including means operatively connecting said servo-motor and said pusher element.

10. A device. according to claim 9, including a second pusher element acting on said linking means and serving to limit displacement of said piston-shaped member in the opposite direction, and means operatively connecting said handactuated means to both said pusher elements.

11. In a helicopter provided with adjustablepitch rotary blades, the pitch-adjusting means including a hydraulically operated servo-motor and a source of pressure liquid, said helicopter having an engine for driving said blades, and

1 1 251i, a tu me ns r cid trdm i th tfi 't ofs dengine', the combination of duct" means tw 'the disehafgfe end oifs'aid source and seryb inotorfijjalv'e means" on said duet ans, for controlling thevpas'sage o'fpressuife fluid to said se t'ni-motor, said valve meansine 'elu'd 4 g a piston-s1iap'e'dmember adapted toslide dea cylindrical eneldsure; a rotary member pos tively" drivemfrom said blades; governor fly hallssupiiorted bysam rotary member; linking between said g'overner flyballs and said u means for adjusting the position thereof; i duct me'ansf between the discharge end s our'o'e and said cylindrical enclosure; fhalist passage from said; cylindrical enre; further valve means for controlling the 13 age, Q i iessui 'e liquid t n from said ey drieal enelos'ure through said further duct me ns said ex u s a asbv fl sp' den spri g I acting, 7 through oneend thereof, en said linking means oppositely to the action oi said flyballs, a moi/able piston abutment for the other end of said speeder spring for adl sti i t h e stres s thereof, a shaped mm asspeialted with said piston abutment for adjusting the position thereof; a linkage between said earnand said hand-actuated means, for bringsaid cam under control of said hand-actuated fiieans; a movable pusher slidably fitted through an end of said cylindrical enclosure as" engageable with said piston-shaped member ta displacement thereof in the corresponding directidn; an articulated linkage between said fiushei and said servo-motor for' adjusting 7 drdiri te tl'ie I her m v'ablebiis'hei' sai piston abiitihentand adaritedto cooperate; withs'a-id linking means, for limitingdisplaeeinent' of said valve means in the oia'pes'ite direetion; a hand lever conneetedte hoth of s d iii'ishers and adapted to adjust sjir'nultaneon'slythe positions thereof; at least one planet-gee? mounted on said rotary member for free fetation' relatively thereto; a sun gear meshing with said planet gear; a flywheel fast with said sinigear; a ring gear meshmg with said planet gear; abutting means for prevent "g rt'ation of said ring gear beyond a predete 'ifiedan'gii'lar' position; and transmissien ine'ans between said ring gear and said valve nieans for" adjusting the position thereof.

LOUIS BREGUEFI. RENE DEVILLERS.

fi-EFEitiiNCEs CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

